Ending our trip with a treat

We left the lovely Central West today and drove to Canberra, where we will stay for five nights before returning to the Central Coast. The last two nights we will spend with friends whom we haven’t seen for some time. We are really looking forward to that. We decided to treat ourselves to the first three nights staying in the Hyatt Canberra. This is our gift to ourselves for celebrating our 40th anniversary.

The Hyatt Canberra, formerly known as the Hotel Canberra, was the first hotel built in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It was proposed in 1921 to accommodate 200 Parliamentarians, dignitaries and high Commonwealth officials in sophisticated simplicity and was intended to raise the public image of the new capital.  It was designed by Commonwealth Architect John Smith Murdoch. It was opened in two stages in 1924 and 1925. Its early days saw many instances of political intrigue. If only its walls could talk.

The hotel is still considered to be one of the finest in Canberra and is a significant icon of the city. We love its design.

We are looking forward to visiting a number of the very interesting institutions and venues here in Canberra over the next few days, including attending question time in the House of Representatives tomorrow.